The department offers several annual awards to outstanding students on the basis of merit.

The Ray Collins Alumni Award is given annually by the Sociology Alumni Association to the top graduating senior. The awardee is selected by the faculty on the basis of GPA, and the award consists of first-year membership dues in the Sociology Alumni Association and a cash award.

The Alumni Agent Scholarship and the Sociology Alumni Scholarship are given to deserving sociology majors annually. The awardees are selected by the faculty on the basis of merit.

A series of undergraduate awards are given to outstanding students. The Freshman Sociology Award is given to the outstanding freshman student in lower-division sociology course work; the Outstanding Junior Sociology Major Award is given to the outstanding junior sociology major; the Outstanding Sociology Minor Award is presented to the graduating student with the most outstanding minor GPA record; and the Outstanding Sociological Statistics and Methods Award is given to the sociology major with the best overall record in Sociology 3220 and 3230. This award carries a stipend for the student to serve as an undergraduate course assistant for Sociology 3220, or 3230.

Department HonorsThe sociology department will award department honors for those B.A. and B.S. degree candidates in sociology with an overall grade point average of 3.2 or better. They must also successfully complete an independent study through Sociology 4350, Special Study.